Comics: Brian "Box" Brown on Retrofitting the Medium

Retrofit Comics - encouraging the medium’s growth one artist, one issue at a time

Just in case it’s not been made clear before now, at present the
comics industry, like much of the publishing industry, is in a state of flux.

The advent of multiple formats, presentation platforms and
distribution systems—including such diverse elements as the Internet and
Amazon.com, digital editions and nearly ubiquitous eReaders of all variety of
description, among many other factors—have left many in the business more than a
little concerned about the future and what kind of changes are yet to come.

Others are seizing the day, and those new opportunities,
using this paradigm shift to remake and remodel the creative, editorial and
marketing of their comics, if not their companies and their very lives.

Yet another group sees the wisdom held on both sides of this
growing divide, people who are unafraid to embrace change and seek out the possible
futures available even as they work to preserve those practices and ideas from
the past worth saving, or even embracing wholeheartedly.

Brian "Box" Brown, the founder and Publisher of Retrofit Comics, is
just such a man. In fact, he’s already embarked upon what some might call a quixotic
quest to keep the single issue “floppy” alive in an increasingly collected and
downloadable world.

Brown recently set aside a few moments to discuss Retrofit’s
roster and releases, and why he’s chosen to help foster the future of the
medium by publishing a small group of handpicked artists in a format that—at least
according to some—is on its last legs.

What is Retrofit Comics, and who’s doing what
behind the scenes?

Retrofit Comics is small comics press based in
Philadelphia. We're working on publishing small saddle-stitched
alternative comics, the kind that rose to popularity in the 90's and early
2000s. Remember? Daniel Clowes Eightball
is an example. We'll be publishing a new comic by a different artist every
month for the next 17 months.

Why did you establish the imprint, and what
made now the time to launch it?

I really believe in this format for cartoonists,
especially those in the early parts of their careers. It allows artists to
experiment and establish a readership. For a young artist, a graphic novel
is, in my opinion, not the best place to start out.

For one thing they take a really long time to make. If
you're not serializing it in print comics or maybe online, that's a long time
where no one is seeing your work. You're not getting feedback from an
audience, which is really important especially when learning the medium. Then
you have to publish the thing. If you're an emerging artist, that is a big
investment—either by you, if you self-publish, or a publisher.

Furthermore, it's bigger investment by the reader. The
reader has to be willing to plunk down $20 or more on an unestablished artist;
it's a big risk.

What’s so important about having indie floppies
appear regularly on comic shop shelves? What does that shorter, ultimately
disposable format offer that the graphic novels format doesn’t?

As a fan of indie comics and a regular user of
public transportation I envied mainstream comics fans. Every single week
for a few bucks they can get a comic to read on the bus, in the bathroom—this where
reading happens, deal with it—or just while laying in bed. But, if I
wanted to stop at the shop and get something to read, it's $15, $20 per
book. So, you have a few artists that you can follow and save up to buy
their books.

Artists are still self-publishing comics of this size, and
publishers should, too. Younger artists can go to the web, and that has
been a good outlet too, but for my tastes I prefer to read comics in print.

Well, who are the creators involved in this
endeavor, and what are some of the reasons you choose to publish these
particular people?

We have the best artists in the world. If
there is one thing I am not nervous about in this endeavor, it's our talent
roster. I know that each and every one of them can and will deliver
amazing material.

They're all "alternative" artists, but that's not
really a genre. They work in different styles and tell stories of all
different types, but they're all rock solid cartoonists. I've gotten to
know them throughout the years working the different conventions.

We have artists who are relatively new faces (like) Pat
Aulisio and Brendan Leach, and artists who've been in the business a while, (such
as) Tom Hart and James Kochalka. There are also a few women in the
line-up; I know five out of 17 isn't exactly equal, but it's not like I was
searching out women to fill the ranks. I just looked for artists I liked,
and who would be willing and able to produce quality work for Retrofit.

What books have already come out, and what
might you have to say about them?

James Kochalka's bookFungus #1 is our first book and I'm really proud of it. It was
released the first week of September and is out in stores across the
country. It's about some mushroom guys and other characters that live in
the Vernal Pools of Maine. James actually went out and did field research
for them. He did comics about his research which you’ll find here, here,
and here.

The next book, Drag
Bandits by Betsey Swardlick and Colleen Frakes, is about these bandits who
dress in drag! A new take on the Scarlet Pimpernel, if you will. Colleen
and Betsey are alumni of the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont and are well
versed in how to make awesome comics.

Both sound like a lot of fun.

Well, what’s coming up, title- and content-wise, in the near
and far future?

November and December will see (books from) two
relative unknowns named Pat Aulisio and Josh Bayer. I'm really excited for
both of them reach a larger audience. They're work is really visually
stunning and dramatically different from the first two books.

Pat's book Bowman
is his foray into the world Arthur C. Clarke developed in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but with Aulisio's classic use of the
juxtaposition of wild visuals and crude humor.

Josh Bayer's work, Raw
Power, features G. Gordon Liddy as a character. Josh's work is as
original as it comes. I was talking with Jessica Abel this weekend and she
described him as mostly wanting to be Gary Panter, but there is part of him
that really wants to be Jack Kirby, and anyone who's read his comic ROM can
attest to that being true.

In 2013, it's just a non-stop thrill ride of all kinds of
different stuff.

How can readers grab copies of these beauties
for themselves?

The first thing they should do is demand that
their local shop start carrying Retrofit comics. If that doesn't work,
they can find a better shop from our retailers list.

If that's not possible, they can order from our
website. They can also buy subscriptions (for four and six months) from the site. That way
they'll never miss an issue.

What do you hope readers get from your efforts?

I hope they get to see more comics by more artists
than they've been able to in the last few years.

How about the artists involved, what do you
hope their work with Retrofit does for them?

I just hope that I was able to provide them with a
legitimate avenue for their art work, and helped to get their work seen by tons
of eager eyes.

What about you? What do you get from making
Retrofit happen on a daily basis?

I'm just happy to help. In the future, I'd
love to keep the party going and continue Retrofit past the 17 months currently
scheduled. I'd love for Retrofit to be in every store in the country and
be a legitimate avenue for comics artists.

Subscribers can look
for the new issue in their mailbox, and everyone else can follow us at
Retrofitcomics.com and on twitter @retrofitcomics

Also I, Box Brown, am a cartoonist. I won’t
be publishing my own work as part of Retrofit—I see it as a conflict of
interest—but, thankfully, other people will be. My new book The Survivalist will be out in December
from Blank Slate.

A veteran journalist who has covered the comics medium since 1998, Bill Baker is also the author of Icons: The DC Comics and WildStorm Art of Jim Lee and seven previous books featuring his extended interviews with Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and other notable creators. You can learn more about Bill’s work…